The Well Revisited
by sergeantbushhat
Summary: What if the little girl wasn't the one who fell down the well? Requested by @morethanmedia.


Sergeant Jack Moffitt had experienced many heart-stopping moments throughout his life, both in and out of His Majesty's Armed Forces, but nothing could ever freeze his blood as quickly as the sight of his wounded driver plummeting into the earth and out of sight. As he sprinted toward the spot where he had last seen Tully, he watched a life flash before his eyes, but for once it wasn't his own.

"Please, God, don't be dead, not yet. Not like this." Moffitt saw the multitude of siblings that Tully loved to talk about growing up without the older brother they adored, the mother who had given the driver his sense of humor and good manners forced to bury her oldest son, and the young lady whose picture the private kissed every night getting the heart-shattering news that the man she was waiting for wasn't coming back.

Ignoring everything else, Moffitt was oblivious to the yelled warning, but luckily a pair of arms stopped him before he fell down the same abandoned well his driver had. Without hesitation, the Brit began to fight against the iron grip keeping him from his friend.

"That's enough Sergeant! You can't help him if you fall in yourself!"

Moffitt's blood ran cold. He slowly turned his head and found himself looking into the eyes of Hauptmann Dietrich.

"Your man has fallen into the well. The ground around it is unstable. Any effort on your part to get closer to the opening would cause debris or worse, you, to fall onto him. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Alright, then I will release you, and you will not reach for your gun. My men are watching, and they would not take kindly to you shooting their superior officer." The captain slowly released Moffitt and took a step back from the other man.

Just as the Brit opened his mouth to inquire about Dietrich's intentions, bullets ripped through the air. The Rat Patrol's second jeep was exchanging fire with the German troops hidden amongst the ruins. Moffitt waved to signal for Troy to ceasefire as Dietrich did the same for his own men. The jeep came to a roaring stop as Troy jumped out.

"What's going on? Where's Tully?"

"He's fallen into the well. He was shot and the force of the bullet must have knocked him back onto the boards. I'm afraid they couldn't hold his weight."

Hitch joined his sergeants while keeping a wary eye on Dietrich, "well how are we going to get him out?"

"We'll have to lower someone down using the beam hanging over the well." Troy considered the less than sturdy supports holding up the beam.

"If you think that it will support your and your private's weight Sergeant, you are incorrect." Dietrich stood watching the American.

"And how would you know?"

"Because my men and I were about to go down into the well before your patrol decided to delay our actions. The beam is very weak, it would be a miracle if it held 160 kilos."

Troy looked to Moffitt who continued questioning the German.

"And what is so interesting to you down there?"

"Water."

"Then it seems we have reached an impasse Herr Hauptmann. We need someone light enough to bring Tully up, and you need this well."

"What do you suggest Sergeant?"

"A truce. One of your men is lowered into the well, when we regain our man, we leave in peace, no shots fired." Moffitt stepped forward and held out his hand to the Captain.

"Very well. A truce. But you will explain the situation to your man before we lower someone down there." Dietrich held Moffitt's gaze as he clasped the Brit's hand.

"Of course." Moffitt laid flat on his stomach and slowly moved to the edge of the opening while Dietrich conferred with his men. "Tully?"

"Yeah, Sarge?" came the faint reply.

"Are you alright?"

"I don't know. My shoulder hurts like hell. And I think my leg might be broken."

"We're going to get you out. We have a rope to lower someone down there, but the beam can't hold any of us and you, so one of Dietrich's men is going to come down there."

"One of Dietrich's men is the reason I'm down here."

"They need the well, so we've called a truce."

"I don't trust them, Sarge."

"I know, but I do. And you trust me, right?"

"Yeah, alright. But whoever comes down here better be unarmed."

"Alright." Moffitt carefully made his was back to solid ground and turned to Dietrich, "he wants your man to be unarmed. He's not exactly in a position to defend himself."

Dietrich began unbuckling his gun belt, "I highly doubt that has ever stopped him before." He handed his holster to his second in command while uttering a command in German.

"Moffitt?" Troy turned to look at the Brit.

"He told them that if anything goes wrong, shoot to kill."

"Wonderful."

"Well, Sergeant?" Dietrich asked as he turned to face Troy and Moffitt.

"You're going down there?" Troy's surprise leaked onto his face and into his tone.

"Yes. I'm the only one of my men who I'm willing to risk." Dietrich walked toward the well opening and tossed a rope over the wooden beam. As he tied a foothold, Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch grabbed the other end of the rope. Troy nodded when Dietrich raised his head, and the three men began slowly lowering the German into the well. When he reached the bottom of the well, Dietrich slowly stood and moved toward Tully. As he got closer, Dietrich found himself staring down the barrel of a pistol.

"Take one more step and you're dead."

_Not exactly in a position to defend himself my ass_, the captain thought as he slowly raised his hands in surrender.

"And what do you plan to do with a broken leg and wounded shoulder, Private?"

"It seems to me that you got down here with one leg, so I can get back up with one. You just stay there, Captain. I'm sure your men will come get you when we're gone." As Tully spoke, he carefully used to wall to stand. With the hand not aiming the gun at Dietrich, he grabbed the rope.

"Don't be a fool, Private. You and your men wouldn't even make it back to your jeeps. Assuming you can manage to hold on to hold on to the rope and your gun until you reach the top."

"We'll manage." Tully hooked the foot of his uninjured leg into the loop Dietrich had used. As soon as Tully began pulling his weight up onto the rope, he collapsed back against the wall.

"Having difficulties, Private?"

"Shut up." Tully tried again to pull himself into a standing position on the rope. After seconds, his shoulder gave out yet again, and he fell back down onto the floor of the well. The burst of pain down his right side made him cry out and loosen his grip on the gun.

Dietrich used the opening to slam the private's hand against the wall and remove the gun from his grip.

"You are lucky, Private Pettigrew, that I am a man of my word. If I were not you and your men would be dead by now."

Tully continued to glare up at the German.

"Now I'm going to get ready to go back up. If you would like to join me, I suggest you swallow your pride and allow me to help you." As he spoke, Dietrich looped the rope around his waist and placed his foot into the circle tied for a foothold.

"And I'm warning you now, Private, if you try to touch the gun, I will drop you back into the well and leave you here to die, truce or no truce."

Tully looked between the opening of the well and the German. "I understand. What…. what do you need me to do?"

"Finally listening to reason I see. I simply need you to come here and hold still."

Tully slowly stood, leaning against the wall for support. Once he gained his footing, he inched toward the German. Dietrich held out a hand to help Tully walk towards him.

"Now I don't see anything wring with your good leg, so you can support your weight on it yes?'

"For the most part."

"Then here's what we'll do. Lean against me and place your foot next to mine."

Tully hesitated for a moment before he shifted so the Dietrich was supporting his weight and slid his foot into the loop.

"Alright. Now what?"

"Now you hold still, and I keep us both upright." As he spoke, Dietrich pulled himself and therefore Tully, into a standing position, his arms keeping the private between him and the rope. He tugged twice on the rope and they began to be raised out of the well.

Tully closed his eyes and focused on staying upright. As he felt the heat of the noonday sun on his face, he slowly opened his eyes and reached for the hand Moffitt was holding out to him.

As Moffitt pulled Tully to safety, Johann did the same for Dietrich. When both men were out of the well, the Rat Patrol and Dietrich's men slowly reached for their guns.

"I assume our truce still stands, Sergeant?" Dietrich called from his side of the well.

"We leave, no shots fired." Troy gestured to Hitch and Moffitt. As the pair slowly put away their weapons, the Germans did the same.

"Precisely." With a nod, Dietrich turned back to his men and began giving orders.

"I guess we're dismissed." Moffitt helped Tully to his feet and turned to Troy.

"I guess so. Well, let's shake it."

**TIME SKIP**

"Well, Tully, you're not in any danger, but it'd be best if we got you to an aid station as sooner rather than later." Moffitt rested his hand gently on the private's head. "That'll teach you to go falling into wells."

"I think I've learned my lesson, Sarge," the Kentuckian chuckled.

"Hey," Hitch turned to look at his friends, "if Tully fell down the well, does that make Dietrich Lassie?"

Troy pushed Hitch's kepi down over his eyes with a laugh, "c'mon you three. Let's go."


End file.
